The invention relates to an apparatus for transferring products being conveyed, as generically defined by the preambles to claims 1, 2, 3 and 4.
In the prior art, the most various kinds of apparatus for delivering a product being conveyed from one conveyor device to another are known, such as chain ejectors, belt transfer means, flat belt transfer means, swiveling shunts, discharge pushers, etc. German Utility Model DE 89 03 730 U1 describes an apparatus with which products are grasped by a gripper device and then transferred. Apparatuses of this kind are in use in the beverage industry, for example, for packing bottles in certain packs. U.S. Pat. No. 5,220,995 describes an infeed device for proportioning certain goods to be conveyed, where the goods being conveyed are fed in onto a main feed path and aligned relative to conveyors moving relative to the goods, such as belt or strap conveyors. U.S. Pat. No. 4,962,841 describes an apparatus for transferring goods or products to be conveyed from one feed path to another, which for example is at an angle of 90 to the original feed path. The transfer apparatus and the load-being rollers are driven by means of a centrally driven vertical shaft and round transmission belts. In these apparatuses, there is the problem of motion of a conveyor means (flat belt, round belt) relative to the products being conveyed, so that torsion of the goods being conveyed, which is hard to control, can occur. The product being conveyed cannot be positioned in a defined way during the course of delivery. This often causes disruptions in the flow of material in conveyor devices. In these apparatuses, it is also quite difficult to move different kinds of products being conveyed, that is, products that differ in size, weight, shape (cardboard boxes, containers, etc.), or to conduct a mixed operation in which products of different dimensions need to be conveyed. Another problem, in apparatuses in current use, is when the product being conveyed, such as a plastic container or a cardboard box, is loaded on one side. In that case, crash situations often arise in the discharge or delivery process. Furthermore, it is usually possible for a product being conveyed to be fed in only one direction, and only from one conveyor device to a maximum of one other conveyor device extending parallel, perpendicular, or diagonally to it.
It is therefore the object of the invention to create an apparatus for transferring products being conveyed of various size (width, length, height), weight, shape and loading condition from one conveyor device to at least one second conveyor device, disposed parallel to the first or at a defined angle to it, and to enable a transfer with the capability of precise positioning, that is, without friction and without slipping of the product being conveyed. The invention is intended to make it possible to enable a transfer of products being conveyed not in merely one direction but selectively in at least two direction from one conveyor device to other conveyor devices, disposed parallel or at a defined angle to the first conveyor device. It is intended that the invention be integratable into conveyor devices of the most various kinds, and in particular it should be possible to use the invention in combination with roller conveyors with a very tight roller spacing, and to retrofit existing systems with the invention. The invention is meant to enable transferring even products being conveyed of high weight, such as Europallets, using the most cost-effective technologies and assuring the greatest possible operating safety and reliability with the least possible wear. It must also be possible to use the apparatus in the food industry or in explosion-proof rooms.
This object is attained according to the invention by means of the characteristics of the bodies of claims 1, 2, 3 and 4. Dependent claims 5-20 recite how the invention is further embodied.
By means of the invention, it is attained that products being conveyed of different size, weight and shape, which are also conveyed on conveyor devices in a mixed mode of operation, can be transferred from one conveyor device to at least one other conveyor device, without any friction or slipping of the products being conveyed occurring during the transfer operation. The invention also enables problem-free transferal of products being conveyed loaded on one side, for example; that is, the loading condition of the product being conveyed does not matter. By means of the invention, precise positioning of the most various kinds of product being conveyed in the transfer process is made possible. The invention enables the use of the transfer apparatus in conjunction with conveyor devices of the most various kinds, in particular in conjunction with roller conveyors with very close roller spacing, and also allows existing conveyor devices, especially in roller conveyors, to be retrofitted with the transfer apparatus. With the apparatus, it is also attained that transfers can be made in at least two different directions, and onto a plurality of further conveyor devices parallel to or at a defined angle to the first conveyor device, and that the location of the product being conveyed can be varies in terms of the feeding direction on the conveyor device. The apparatus moreover makes it possible for all the conveyor devices connected to the apparatus to stay in operation during the transfer process, without affecting the flow of material in the rest of the conveyor system. This is a substantial advantage for the attainable throughput quantities in conveyor systems and contributes substantially to the assessment of the efficiency of conveyor systems. Retrofitting into existing systems made by the most various manufacturers is made possibly by a modular design of the apparatus. Another advantage is that the apparatus can be designed to be compact and low in height. The invention also makes it possible for the highest possible operating safety and reliability to be assured during operation of the apparatus, with the least possible wear, and for the apparatus to be used in the food industry or in explosion-proof rooms.